Tigers Off to Pakistan to Play T20I Series

Bangladesh cricket team left for Pakistan today night to play a three-match T20I series in Lahore.

A chartered flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying them took off from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 8 pm and it will directly fly to Lahore.

Along with a 15-member squad of players, a total of eight support staff are accompanying the team during this series.

Bangladesh T20I captain Mahmudullah Riyad told the media that they are aiming to win the series in Pakistan.

“Pakistan have been playing well in the T20 format and doing well. But we’ve also displayed good performance in some notable matches. I’m hopeful of playing some enjoyable games in the series. If we can play our best cricket, we can win the series,” Mahmudullah told the media at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium yesterday.

The first match of the series will take place on January 24 while the other two matches will be played on January 25 and 27. All the matches will be played on the same ground- Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.

Bangladesh team will be provided presidential security during the series. As per media reports from Pakistan, a total of 10,000 cops will be deployed to ensure security for the Bangladesh team which might impact natural the game of the Tigers.

Mahmudullah, however, ruled out that idea. “I don’t think this way. No one of the members of Bangladesh is thinking this way. The decision has already been taken, and we’re ready to play cricket in Pakistan. We’re focusing only on our game and planning how we can win the series,” he had said.

The series was under a cloud for a long time due to the concern about the security situation in Pakistan. No team toured the country to play Test cricket after the infamous terror attack on the touring Sri Lankan cricket team in 2009 until Sri Lanka ended that drought in 2019.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) came to an agreement recently on the condition of splitting the series into three phases. Bangladesh will now play only three-match T20 series.

In the second phase, they will tour Pakistan for a Test, and in the third and final phase, Bangladesh will tour Pakistan for one ODI and one Test.

Bangladesh T20 squad for Pakistan tour: Mahmudullah Riyad (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Naim, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Liton Das, Mohammad Mithun, Afif Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Aminul Islam Bipblob, Mustafizur Rahman, Shafiul Islam, Al Amin Hossain, Rubel Hossain, and Hasan Mahmud

Support Staff: Sabbir Khan Shafin (team manager), Russell Domingo (head coach), Ottis Gibson (bowling coach), Sohel Islam (fielding coach), Julian Calefato (physiotherapist), Tushar Kanti (trainer), Rabeed Imam (media manager) and Mohammad Sohel (masseur).

Source: UNB